A new analysis of the American Freshman Survey, which has accumulated data for the past 47 years from 9 million young adults, reveals that college students are more likely than ever to call themselves gifted and driven to succeed, even though their test scores and time spent studying are decreasing.
Psychologist Jean Twenge, the lead author of the analysis, is also the author of a study showing that the tendency toward narcissism in students is up 30 percent in the last thirty-odd years.
This data is not unexpected. I have been writing a great deal over the past few years about the toxic psychological impact of media and technology on children, adolescents and young adults, particularly as it regards turning them into faux celebrities—the equivalent of lead actors in their own fictionalized life stories.
On Facebook, young people can fool themselves into thinking they have hundreds or thousands of “friends.” They can delete unflattering comments. They can block anyone who disagrees with them or pokes holes in their inflated self-esteem. They can choose to show the world only flattering, sexy or funny photographs of themselves (dozens of albums full, by the way), “speak” in pithy short posts and publicly connect to movie stars and professional athletes and musicians they “like.”

We must beware of the toxic psychological impact of media and technology on children, adolescents and young adults, particularly as it regards turning them into faux celebrities—the equivalent of lead actors in their own fictionalized life stories.​

Using Twitter, young people can pretend they are worth “following,” as though they have real-life fans, when all that is really happening is the mutual fanning of false love and false fame.
Using computer games, our sons and daughters can pretend they are Olympians, Formula 1 drivers, rock stars or sharpshooters. And while they can turn off their Wii and Xbox machines and remember they are really in dens and playrooms on side streets and in triple deckers around America, that is after their hearts have raced and heads have swelled with false pride for “being” something they are not.
On MTV and other networks, young people can see lives just like theirs portrayed on reality TV shows fueled by such incredible self-involvement and self-love that any of the “real-life” characters should really be in psychotherapy to have any chance at anything like a normal life.
These are the psychological drugs of the 21st Century and they are getting our sons and daughters very sick, indeed.
As if to keep up with the unreality of media and technology, in a dizzying paroxysm of self-aggrandizing hype, town sports leagues across the country hand out ribbons and trophies to losing teams, schools inflate grades, energy drinks in giant, colorful cans take over the soft drink market, and psychiatrists hand out Adderall like candy.
All the while, these adolescents, teens and young adults are watching a Congress that can’t control its manic, euphoric, narcissistic spending, a president that can’t see his way through to applauding genuine and extraordinary achievements in business, a society that blames mass killings on guns, not the psychotic people who wield them, and—here no surprise—a stock market that keeps rising and falling like a roller coaster as bubbles inflate and then, inevitably, burst.
That’s really the unavoidable end, by the way. False pride can never be sustained. The bubble of narcissism is always at risk of bursting. That’s why young people are higher on drugs than ever, drunker than ever, smoking more, tattooed more, pierced more and having more and more and more sex, earlier and earlier and earlier, raising babies before they can do it well, because it makes them feel special, for a while. They’re doing anything to distract themselves from the fact that they feel empty inside and unworthy.
Distractions, however, are temporary, and the truth is eternal. Watch for an epidemic of depression and suicidality, not to mention homicidality, as the real self-loathing and hatred of others that lies beneath all this narcissism rises to the surface. I see it happening and, no doubt, many of you do, too.
We had better get a plan together to combat this greatest epidemic as it takes shape. Because it will dwarf the toll of any epidemic we have ever known. And it will be the hardest to defeat. Because, by the time we see the scope and destructiveness of this enemy clearly, we will also realize, as the saying goes, that it is us.Dr. Keith Ablow is a psychiatrist and member of the Fox News Medical A-Team. Dr. Ablow can be reached at

People have always been able to delude themselves and escape into novels or their own imagination to become something they are not. Also, who gives a fuck if they call themselves talented or driven? What if it is the truth? I bet there are more people in school now than ever based on how easy it is to get student loans. Tons of shitty students getting into college drags down the average hours spent studying. The author reads like a pretentious asshole.

People have always been able to delude themselves and escape into novels or their own imagination to become something they are not. Also, who gives a fuck if they call themselves talented or driven? What if it is the truth? I bet there are more people in school now than ever based on how easy it is to get student loans. Tons of shitty students getting into college drags down the average hours spent studying. The author reads like a pretentious asshole.

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We wonder why people are doing things like Mass shooting and stuff. I think this article is attempting to discuss a possible reason.

People have always been able to delude themselves and escape into novels or their own imagination to become something they are not. Also, who gives a fuck if they call themselves talented or driven? What if it is the truth? I bet there are more people in school now than ever based on how easy it is to get student loans. Tons of shitty students getting into college drags down the average hours spent studying. The author reads like a pretentious asshole.

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We wonder why people are doing things like Mass shooting and stuff. I think this article is attempting to discuss a possible reason.

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That’s really the unavoidable end, by the way. False pride can never be sustained. The bubble of narcissism is always at risk of bursting. That’s why young people are higher on drugs than ever, drunker than ever, smoking more, tattooed more, pierced more and having more and more and more sex, earlier and earlier and earlier, raising babies before they can do it well, because it makes them feel special, for a while. They’re doing anything to distract themselves from the fact that they feel empty inside and unworthy.

That being said, yes, our society has definitely gotten very narcissistic, and none of us here are any different. Hell, this forum and most like it are ultimately totally about stoking your ego by getting post counts.

It wont change until a collapse or "very bad time" in society happens though.

I think that the problem is different then in the pat though. A book isnt the same as a very interactive video game and the level of tech that younger generation are dealing with compared to the older generation you just cant compare the two. today's youth is in constant contact with cell phones and things like the internet make a lot of entertainment an on demand type of product so I can see where this guy is coming from.

education is a privilege problem is they force alot of thugs back into schools where they don't belong at all. if they act up in school and cause problems so nobody can learn. they shouldn't be there in the first place.

I think he makes some very good points. Read about some studies where they asked college students about how they ranked themselves- 74% believed that they were above average... Inflated sense of self-worth is pretty rampant.
I also wouldn't compare getting lost in a book to instant-gratification games, social networking and the like.

Not me. I'm teaching my kids that nothing good is ever handed to you. You want something, you go out there, make yourself known, and get it for yourself.

Case in point, my daughter was one of just 5 students accepted into an 8th grade after school enrichment club all because her little 10 year old self asked three teachers for letters of recommendation.

You don't need a facebook account to be deluded and self-involved. Just grow up in America where you can buy stuff you don't need, spend money you don't have, and then work for years to support your greed. You might have to get self-involved and believe you are a hard worker to distract from the fact that ur probably a slave to the company you work for.

I would compare the public school/university system in America to prison.

I typed out like 8 paragraphs and accidentally closed the window looking up stats, but 23 plus years in a rigorously scheduled setting does nothing but rape creativity and indoctrinate children. They have no idea how to assimilate into society after that.

I know nearly 100 people who owe +50 k in student loans who have taken menial jobs just so they can make payments on thousands of dollars worth of loans that they were just handed at the age of 18. Few 18 year olds understand what that debt means. And now, nearly all of those people make about 4,000 dollars a year after life expenses, and will never pay that debt back.... and that's just people I know. I was never good with math or economics, just enough to keep my own expenses and lifestyle in line while taking care of business, but that honestly scares the shit out of me. I have no idea what kind of effect this is going to have on an economy that is already teetering on 17 trillion dollars in debt.

The escapism is more than likely a result of a life that they have no control over. The crushing weight of that debt is more than enough to make people just completely give up, and I've seen it happen to people younger than 30.

It doesn't help that you can no longer live off of social security, so none of the baby boomers are even bothering to retire, while in the mean time we're cranking out nearly 2 million graduates a year. Laugh my ****ing ass off if anyone tries to argue that the country itself has a job market for those kinds of numbers.

It's not that they're lazy...... they just see how fucked up everything is, and are just giving up. No one my age even bothers to vote, because in order to follow politics you need about 40 hours a week to sift through the political bullshit to even have any inkling of an idea of what's actually going on. Who's agenda can actually be trusted, and who is just spewing absolute bullshit.

In order to fix this country, sacrifices are going to have to be made. And no politician is going to go anywhere near what actually has to be done.... hell, I don't blame them, they wouldn't get elected.

please, someone tell me how stupid i am so we can have a decently educated conversation, because i know i'm probably at least in some sense mildly retarded, but i'm at least ears so maybe i'll learn something

i just have enough info to feel like the coming generation is already fucked, and i feel like they feel it too, but it's just...nooobody wants to talk about it. So we point the finger in a thousand different directions, but nobody wants to talk about what's reaaally wrong. I say let them have their fun now....... because before too long, we're all going to have to deal with what's coming

I say let them have their fun now....... because before too long, we're all going to have to deal with what's coming

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You're dealing with it now in the form of mass killings. Look for more young adults on the news.

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Please be above what is, and what is not reported in the media

People have been murdering each other since they figured out how

and violent crime has been in decline in the US since '91.....fucking colonial times if you want to get technical

It's been statistically proven that the more these mass shootings story garner media worldwide attention, painting these bastards like some sort of anti-hero, it's all but inevitable that a copycat will emerge within the next few weeks

I have sympathy for more recent grads due to the shitty job market; however, you are right that the education system (particularly the overly expensive university system) does not adequately prepare students for the real world. The mountain of debt, however, is exacerbated by poor degree choices, which in turn are the cause of the previous education system.

Or, to put it another way, sure you can be anything you want...but nobody tells you that a liberal arts degree doesn't put food on the table. Can't count the number of my IB/AP peers with better grades than me who got degrees they don't even use now, and complain they don't get paid as much as I do. Well, doesn't help that you paid out-of-state tuition for a Masters in Philosophy, which isn't turning out to be super-useful at that help desk job.

I got somewhat lucky. I saw through the BS of the education system earlier than my peers, went to an in-state university, chose a major based on the two essential questions of 'What are my talents and interests? Which of those is likely to make me the most money?', changed majors in such a way that I could still use credits from my previous major to bypass a lot of the early classes, and came out in 4 years with minimal debt (I have less than $5k left to pay back...a piddling $167/mo).

I have sympathy for more recent grads due to the shitty job market; however, you are right that the education system (particularly the overly expensive university system) does not adequately prepare students for the real world. The mountain of debt, however, is exacerbated by poor degree choices, which in turn are the cause of the previous education system.

Or, to put it another way, sure you can be anything you want...but nobody tells you that a liberal arts degree doesn't put food on the table. Can't count the number of my IB/AP peers with better grades than me who got degrees they don't even use now, and complain they don't get paid as much as I do. Well, doesn't help that you paid out-of-state tuition for a Masters in Philosophy, which isn't turning out to be super-useful at that help desk job.

I got somewhat lucky. I saw through the BS of the education system earlier than my peers, went to an in-state university, chose a major based on the two essential questions of 'What are my talents and interests? Which of those is likely to make me the most money?', changed majors in such a way that I could still use credits from my previous major to bypass a lot of the early classes, and came out in 4 years with minimal debt (I have less than $5k left to pay back...a piddling $167/mo).

no arguing with the stupidity of people honestly believing they can be "anything" that they want. Because we all have limitations, but yeah, I definitely feel you. I knew enough to know I had no idea what I was doing, so I at least got a degree in business administration (which albeit isn't much better than a philo degree; it's at least applicable) and made it out owing around $9k

I have sympathy for more recent grads due to the shitty job market; however, you are right that the education system (particularly the overly expensive university system) does not adequately prepare students for the real world. The mountain of debt, however, is exacerbated by poor degree choices, which in turn are the cause of the previous education system.

Or, to put it another way, sure you can be anything you want...but nobody tells you that a liberal arts degree doesn't put food on the table. Can't count the number of my IB/AP peers with better grades than me who got degrees they don't even use now, and complain they don't get paid as much as I do. Well, doesn't help that you paid out-of-state tuition for a Masters in Philosophy, which isn't turning out to be super-useful at that help desk job.

I got somewhat lucky. I saw through the BS of the education system earlier than my peers, went to an in-state university, chose a major based on the two essential questions of 'What are my talents and interests? Which of those is likely to make me the most money?', changed majors in such a way that I could still use credits from my previous major to bypass a lot of the early classes, and came out in 4 years with minimal debt (I have less than $5k left to pay back...a piddling $167/mo).

I'm glad my degree is worth more than the paper it's printed on. It's like someone above said, people that got LA degrees are pretty much fucked, ton a debt for a degree that isn't worth the paper it's printed on. I know someone that got a masters in Philosophy as well, and I was like WTF is wrong with you, why are you wasting your time and money.... sure enough, they have a worthless ass degree that isn't helping him get a job at all....

The reason all our kids are becoming deluded narcissists is because everyone gets a trophy or a shining star for mediocrity. It's the way we are raising our kids now a days, we can't let the little angels fail at anything, and omgosh, you're all so brilliant and talented... bull fucking shit, there are some stupid ass kids out there that will always fail at anything they try, don't reward them with a trophy/star for sucking!!!

Life will not reward these kids for failure. Prepare them for failure because unfortunately its a fact of life and if you can't deal with failure or overcome failure, you're fucked. simple as that.

It's how you deal with adversity, it's how you pick yourself up off the ground after you fall down, those are the people that succeed in life.

I learned a trade before I became a carpenter and I worked that trade till I was good at it, carpentry.

Stop blaming the education system I went to DC public schools one of the worst and neither of my parents had a high school diploma, much less college.

You are the problem if you took the easy route, (a liberal based education that only makes you a better conversationalist).

If you'd gotten a degree in a technical field that needs workers, you wouldn't have this problem.

You have only yourself to blame, the last two engineers I hired were foreign women, because US citizens don't want to do the work that an engineering degree takes.

We are now giving the PE (Professional Engineer's) exam in other countries, BECAUSE WE CAN'T FIND ENOUGH ENGINEERS IN THE USA. At least civil engineers anyway, for which there are plenty of available good living income jobs all over the country.

So either cry me a river or go back to school and get the right degree this time.

I don't want to hear how hard that will be, to give up your car and your lifestyle, suck it up and do it, or STFU.

I have sympathy for more recent grads due to the shitty job market; however, you are right that the education system (particularly the overly expensive university system) does not adequately prepare students for the real world. The mountain of debt, however, is exacerbated by poor degree choices, which in turn are the cause of the previous education system.

Or, to put it another way, sure you can be anything you want...but nobody tells you that a liberal arts degree doesn't put food on the table. Can't count the number of my IB/AP peers with better grades than me who got degrees they don't even use now, and complain they don't get paid as much as I do. Well, doesn't help that you paid out-of-state tuition for a Masters in Philosophy, which isn't turning out to be super-useful at that help desk job.

I got somewhat lucky. I saw through the BS of the education system earlier than my peers, went to an in-state university, chose a major based on the two essential questions of 'What are my talents and interests? Which of those is likely to make me the most money?', changed majors in such a way that I could still use credits from my previous major to bypass a lot of the early classes, and came out in 4 years with minimal debt (I have less than $5k left to pay back...a piddling $167/mo).

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Can I hire you to do workshops?

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I'm not a very inspirational speaker. "Hi, kids. Make sure you stay in school, but don't try very hard because you'll just burn out. Do enough to get through it and go to college, because it's a hoop you need to jump through if you want to make any decent money. You might think you'll be the next Lil Wayne, but you've got a higher chance of working at McD's and going nowhere if you drop out. Do some research before you decide on a major as to what's trending in the working world and where jobs will always be. Plus college is fun, you get to drink and fuck a lot. It's all the joy of being an adult with a fraction of the responsibility. Keep a part-time job once you turn old enough to work, and try to work in a field related to your major in college - experience trumps everything. Your goal is to be as boring and secure as possible in your late 20's early 30's, so you can have fun and travel when you're a bit older. Never forget that you'll inevitably die some day. And slap Mrs. Dyslexia's ass on the way out, she likes that."

I'm glad my degree is worth more than the paper it's printed on. It's like someone above said, people that got LA degrees are pretty much fucked, ton a debt for a degree that isn't worth the paper it's printed on. I know someone that got a masters in Philosophy as well, and I was like WTF is wrong with you, why are you wasting your time and money.... sure enough, they have a worthless ass degree that isn't helping him get a job at all....

The reason all our kids are becoming deluded narcissists is because everyone gets a trophy or a shining star for mediocrity. It's the way we are raising our kids now a days, we can't let the little angels fail at anything, and omgosh, you're all so brilliant and talented... bull fucking shit, there are some stupid ass kids out there that will always fail at anything they try, don't reward them with a trophy/star for sucking!!!

Life will not reward these kids for failure. Prepare them for failure because unfortunately its a fact of life and if you can't deal with failure or overcome failure, you're fucked. simple as that.

It's how you deal with adversity, it's how you pick yourself up off the ground after you fall down, those are the people that succeed in life.

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It's also a product of having no natural predators when the weakest most worthless of our society are allowed to thrive and reproduce (in as many numbers as they can) because the impoverished are rewarded by the government, with each head they add to their tax return.

I have sympathy for more recent grads due to the shitty job market; however, you are right that the education system (particularly the overly expensive university system) does not adequately prepare students for the real world. The mountain of debt, however, is exacerbated by poor degree choices, which in turn are the cause of the previous education system.

Or, to put it another way, sure you can be anything you want...but nobody tells you that a liberal arts degree doesn't put food on the table. Can't count the number of my IB/AP peers with better grades than me who got degrees they don't even use now, and complain they don't get paid as much as I do. Well, doesn't help that you paid out-of-state tuition for a Masters in Philosophy, which isn't turning out to be super-useful at that help desk job.

I got somewhat lucky. I saw through the BS of the education system earlier than my peers, went to an in-state university, chose a major based on the two essential questions of 'What are my talents and interests? Which of those is likely to make me the most money?', changed majors in such a way that I could still use credits from my previous major to bypass a lot of the early classes, and came out in 4 years with minimal debt (I have less than $5k left to pay back...a piddling $167/mo).